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Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler Joins ‘American Idol’

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The rumors are true: Steven Tyler will be the new judge on American Idol. At an announcement today in Los Angeles, the Aerosmith frontman appeared with host Ryan Seacrest to reveal that he’ll be one of two new judges (along with Jennifer Lopez) for the show’s upcoming 10th season, replacing judges Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres.

The news follows months of speculation that the Aerosmith frontman was a top pick of the job. As SPIN previously reported, Tyler revealed back in August that he was offered the gig. “This beautiful girl from FOX came up to me and made an offer,” Tyler said. “They mentioned it and I listened, and [Aerosmith] are on tour, so I gotta give it some time.”

Do you think he’ll make a good judge? Sound off in the comments section.

Tyler has spent the past summer on the road with Aerosmith but his relationship with his bandmates hasn’t necessarily been a good one. At an August gig in Toronto, Tyler and Joe Perry appeared to get into an on-stage spat, with Perry seemingly pushing Tyler into the crowd after Tyler hip-checked him. And in February, Tyler was nearly booted from the band following a stint in rehab for a painkiller addiction.

With his new post at Idol, Tyler appears to be stepping out from underneath Aerosmith’s shadow. Earlier this week, producers for a Japanese sci-fi movie titled Space Battleship Yamato revealed that Tyler is contributing his first solo single to the movie’s soundtrack, due out in November. The song — titled “Love Lives” — is a big, bombastic arena-rock anthem eerily reminiscent to Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” from the 1997 soundtrack to Armageddon. (Check out a snippet of Tyler’s new track below.)

Early next year, Tyler will publish his first autobiography, Does The Noise In My Head Bother You, which will coincide with Tyler’s run on Idol. The show premiers in January and wraps in May.

WATCH:https://www.youtube.com/embed/kr5Rq41tyP0?fs=1